Discussion
So, having seen the overpriced cheap that's about, I'm looking at getting something reasonably priced and using maybe a little credit.
Somewhere under £2k would be good, but a little more for the right car is entirely possible.
So - I've been looking. Basically, all I imagine I'll be doing is commuting up and down the M4, 30 miles or so each way with maybe 5 of those being town roads getting to the motorway. Luckily I'm getting to an age where insurance is roughly £400-500 FC for most options, but I don't plan on losing my license so it's not too important as to whether it's really that fast of a car.
I've been looking at an E46 coupe again, having considered it a few years back and bought a moneypit of a Celica 140 instead
Any advice on these? Technically I guess it works out at about £260 a month at 30mpg, or £173 for 45mpg based on commuting only, so we're not talking a massive difference between diesel and petrol models (maybe £600 a year). I still find myself a little driven by mpg, and the thought of sub 30mpg from the 3.0 is a bit of a put off I guess as I'd only be doing motorway mileage, so would I be likely to get the most of it? At the same time, the concensus seems to be that there's no point getting a smaller engine as the 6 pots do the same mpg regardless and the 4 pots are unreliable and problematic.
Then there's diesels, but do they have the Euro4 (or whatever it's called) issues and/or DMFs, potential turbo failure on top of the extra cost - is it likely to balance out??
Essentially, I'm looking to get something that's a nice comfortable coupe that doesn't take much energy to drive! Cruise control is very desirable and most if not all BMW coupes seem to have it at the age I'm looking at?
Any advice in the real world? Much obliged, and season's greetings!
Somewhere under £2k would be good, but a little more for the right car is entirely possible.
So - I've been looking. Basically, all I imagine I'll be doing is commuting up and down the M4, 30 miles or so each way with maybe 5 of those being town roads getting to the motorway. Luckily I'm getting to an age where insurance is roughly £400-500 FC for most options, but I don't plan on losing my license so it's not too important as to whether it's really that fast of a car.
I've been looking at an E46 coupe again, having considered it a few years back and bought a moneypit of a Celica 140 instead
Any advice on these? Technically I guess it works out at about £260 a month at 30mpg, or £173 for 45mpg based on commuting only, so we're not talking a massive difference between diesel and petrol models (maybe £600 a year). I still find myself a little driven by mpg, and the thought of sub 30mpg from the 3.0 is a bit of a put off I guess as I'd only be doing motorway mileage, so would I be likely to get the most of it? At the same time, the concensus seems to be that there's no point getting a smaller engine as the 6 pots do the same mpg regardless and the 4 pots are unreliable and problematic.
Then there's diesels, but do they have the Euro4 (or whatever it's called) issues and/or DMFs, potential turbo failure on top of the extra cost - is it likely to balance out??
Essentially, I'm looking to get something that's a nice comfortable coupe that doesn't take much energy to drive! Cruise control is very desirable and most if not all BMW coupes seem to have it at the age I'm looking at?
Any advice in the real world? Much obliged, and season's greetings!
Within the realm of petrols, my experience has been that for the same car with similar technology engines of different capacities, the fuel consumption does indeed end up pretty much the same over a normal commute. Of course the bigger engine can burn more if you're driving hard but even if you do use the power it's only for a small portion of a normal commute.
If it were me, I'd just get the big engine for the extra power, the very smooth running I6 and the pleasant sound. Bigger engined cars are often better equipped too. Many 320 buyers from new would have been cheapskates.
If it were me, I'd just get the big engine for the extra power, the very smooth running I6 and the pleasant sound. Bigger engined cars are often better equipped too. Many 320 buyers from new would have been cheapskates.
There's a few 'M Sport' 320s to be honest, so it's not necessarily the spec thats an issue.
I'm more looking at whether it is more cost effective to sacrifice mpg of the 2.0/1.9 for the reliability and power that the 3.0 has, albeit lower mpg.
The 3.0's tend to cost a bit more also, and then the diesel's are more again.
Anyone have any experience of the running costs/reliability of these?
I'm more looking at whether it is more cost effective to sacrifice mpg of the 2.0/1.9 for the reliability and power that the 3.0 has, albeit lower mpg.
The 3.0's tend to cost a bit more also, and then the diesel's are more again.
Anyone have any experience of the running costs/reliability of these?
hornetrider said:
6 pot is much nicer than a 4 pot. Sod mpg to an extent, drive sensibly on the motorway and you'll see plenty north of 30.
The plan would be to stick it around 70 on cruise, which I expect should help? I know the OBC over-reads, so not a clue what real-world potential mpg is at that speed. M4 is pretty flat and dull which helps I guess.I wouldn't be likely to drive fast at all, been there and done that - I grew up in the green country of north wales, my driving was unlisted/B roads
Fast motorway driving is unrewarding to be honest (unless you're looking to get somewhere quicker, then it's elementary!).It's nice to have the power really isn't it? Guessing re-sale is easier on the 3.0 than maybe a hollow 4 pot.
Of course if I commute at the wrong times then it all goes out the window, being sat in a queue and all!
They did the M-Sport for the 318, 320, 325 and 330 (including diesels).
It's not really any more of an oxymoron than the Golf GTi 2.0 (100 + irrelevant bhp), anything Vauxhall call a 'sport' or much else. Just a trim level, never really reflects performance, more 'aesthetics'.
I'll probably see what comes up, not a lot of choice round here for what I'm looking for right now - understandable as I guess it's not worth the money advertising on Autotrader over Xmas
It's not really any more of an oxymoron than the Golf GTi 2.0 (100 + irrelevant bhp), anything Vauxhall call a 'sport' or much else. Just a trim level, never really reflects performance, more 'aesthetics'.
I'll probably see what comes up, not a lot of choice round here for what I'm looking for right now - understandable as I guess it's not worth the money advertising on Autotrader over Xmas
kiethton said:
Why not a 318ci?
We picked this up a few weeks ago for my girlfriend:
2004 318ci Sport, full history, straight with no rust, Widescreen Nav etc for £2.5k
Enough power for the motorway slog and has cruise etc, averaged over 42mpg @ 80 so can only be better at 70 odd?
That's the 2.0 N42 engine - they're meant to suffer from a lot of issues with the engine (valvetronic) amongst other things, which - if you add on potential issues to the mpg - it's not really much of a benefit on savings.We picked this up a few weeks ago for my girlfriend:
2004 318ci Sport, full history, straight with no rust, Widescreen Nav etc for £2.5k
Enough power for the motorway slog and has cruise etc, averaged over 42mpg @ 80 so can only be better at 70 odd?
I'm looking at running costs including the cost of repair and maintenance, and buying cost as well as mpg really :/
much bettercj2013 said:
kiethton said:
Why not a 318ci?
We picked this up a few weeks ago for my girlfriend:
2004 318ci Sport, full history, straight with no rust, Widescreen Nav etc for £2.5k
Enough power for the motorway slog and has cruise etc, averaged over 42mpg @ 80 so can only be better at 70 odd?
That's the 2.0 N42 engine - they're meant to suffer from a lot of issues with the engine (valvetronic) amongst other things, which - if you add on potential issues to the mpg - it's not really much of a benefit on savings.We picked this up a few weeks ago for my girlfriend:
2004 318ci Sport, full history, straight with no rust, Widescreen Nav etc for £2.5k
Enough power for the motorway slog and has cruise etc, averaged over 42mpg @ 80 so can only be better at 70 odd?
I'm looking at running costs including the cost of repair and maintenance, and buying cost as well as mpg really :/
If your looking at 25i/30i's check the cooling system, ideally find one on which its been overhauled as I saw a few that had HG issues.
Think I've fixed the multiple posts, yeah just noticed that....maybe not the best angle hahaha
Edited by kiethton on Wednesday 25th December 21:35
I had read that the 4 pot engines in the E46 were generally more problematic than the 6 pot - where keeping on top of the cooling system is the only major requirement. I've owned two E46 coupes. A 320 automatic and now an (older) 330 manual.
Sport spec is nice, but take in to account that "consumables" like tyres are more expensive when you're running 18" rims (with wider rears).
I love mine, especially since fitting 4 new tyres and having the alignment checked (which has transformed the ride/handling).
By now, many will be 10 or more years old, and there will be issues. Mine has had a few electrical niggles, most of which I've diagnosed and fixed thanks to the wealth of information to be found on the internet. There are some complex bits and pieces on the car, but not when compared to later 3 series.
Remember that most mechanical problems can be fixed relatively simply, but curing rust properly can be a nightmare - and cost a lot of money. So thoroughly check rust-prone areas such as the wheel arches.
My MPG record has been 38 MPG (according to the OBC). This was a 200 mile roundtrip, mostly motorway but with a bit of urban traffic at each end. If you're in a hurry, it won't be quite that good, but I'd still say more than 30 MPG on a motorway journey should be possible without too much bother.
Sport spec is nice, but take in to account that "consumables" like tyres are more expensive when you're running 18" rims (with wider rears).
I love mine, especially since fitting 4 new tyres and having the alignment checked (which has transformed the ride/handling).
By now, many will be 10 or more years old, and there will be issues. Mine has had a few electrical niggles, most of which I've diagnosed and fixed thanks to the wealth of information to be found on the internet. There are some complex bits and pieces on the car, but not when compared to later 3 series.
Remember that most mechanical problems can be fixed relatively simply, but curing rust properly can be a nightmare - and cost a lot of money. So thoroughly check rust-prone areas such as the wheel arches.
My MPG record has been 38 MPG (according to the OBC). This was a 200 mile roundtrip, mostly motorway but with a bit of urban traffic at each end. If you're in a hurry, it won't be quite that good, but I'd still say more than 30 MPG on a motorway journey should be possible without too much bother.
I'm going to have to wait for the 'right one' I guess, there's some out there but mostly crappy/over priced dodgy ones.
I have until early January to sort it out really so hopefully something will come up by then. There's more choice for the 2.0 but there seems to be more issues with those.
Consumables is worrying, but I can't see much else that is perhaps worth it for the money..?
I have until early January to sort it out really so hopefully something will come up by then. There's more choice for the 2.0 but there seems to be more issues with those.
Consumables is worrying, but I can't see much else that is perhaps worth it for the money..?
Boobonman said:
You only live once, get the 3.0
there's only about £40 in it for the insurance between the 318 and 330, so there is appeal in that sense.What's the worst to look out for on them regarding the cooling system? Is it a constant fragility or is it something which is uprated at some point?
What's the worst you'd expect on a cheap one, as I do read that the engines are well refined and pretty bombproof. Just rust and general consumables?
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